The Giants have plenty of work to do this offseason on the heels of a 7-9 campaign that saw New York produce one the league's ugliest offenses.
The problems began up front, where Big Blue's line finished second-to-last in the NFL in pass protection and in the bottom half as run-blockers.
The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J.) reported Wednesday that the Giants "are planning to attack free agency by looking at some of the top, young guards on the market." That makes plenty of sense with Chris Snee fighting his way back from major hip injury and David Diehl now retired.
The Giants expect Snee to return, but New York still needs help. Chris Wesseling didn't include a single guard among his top 25 free agents, but beyond that list, the versatile Geoff Schwartz of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos' Zane Beadles make sense. Kansas City's Jon Asamoah and Chad Rinehart of the San Diego Chargers also are available.
One additional candidate would be Travelle Wharton, but the report mentioned "top, young" guards, and the Carolina Panthers stalwart turns 33 in May.
On the current roster, right tackle Justin Pugh is an option to shift inside, while the draft also looms as fertile ground to find help for Eli Manning. The quarterback was sacked a career-high 39 times last season, with much of that pressure coming from inside the tackles. It's an obvious sore spot the Giants must address come March.
On the latest edition of the "Around The League Podcast," the guys talk about the Jim Harbaugh drama in San Francisco and discuss who made the most striking impression at the NFL Scouting Combine.
